


Sad Boy

by captainpororo



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Do Kyungsoo | D.O & Oh Sehun are Best Friends, Drabble That Got Out of Control, Elements of Hanahaki Disease, M/M, Memory Related
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-11-27 04:00:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18189485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainpororo/pseuds/captainpororo
Summary: Kyungsoo doesn’t know why he hasn’t noticed the boy before.Has he always been in this class? Has he always been this sad?





	Sad Boy

It all started with rain.

Do Kyungsoo remembers how the skies grew a little dim before lunchtime as he walked to his next classroom with Oh Sehun, his best friend. They made a quick trip to visit Sehun’s boyfriend, Kim Junmyeon, in another department’s building before heading to their Calculus class.

As soon as the two of them stepped foot outside, Kyungsoo feels a slight wetness landing on his arm.

It starts with one small drop, then another comes.

“Sehun, I think it’s--” he tries to tell his companion who breaks into a sprint, cussing under his breath. Kyungsoo has no other choice but to follow, trying his best to keep up with his athlete friend.

By the time they reach their destination, they’re two minutes late for class and almost fully drenched. Kyungsoo laments the discomfort of his uniform sticking to his skin and having his hair droop down fully, with bangs over his eyes.

“I hate you,” he whispers to Sehun as they sneak into the auditorium, which was now filled with a couple dozen other architecture students. Thankfully, the dean has his back to the students and was scribbling something onto the blackboard.

The two students quickly found seats by the back of the class and when their motions don’t get their professor’s attention, Kyungsoo sags with relief.

He slowly takes his notebook out of his backpack, thanking all the active deities that the water hasn’t gotten through the interior of his bag. The old man starts droning on about the importance of integrals while Kyungsoo starts to zone out. His eyes travel to the people in front of him, most of whom are friends from the same year and some seniors who got lazy and took this elective late. When he thinks about it, Kyungsoo hasn’t been in the back row before. He has bad eyes, after all.

He notices how a lot of his colleagues are barely paying attention, chuckling to himself when he sees Minseok, a senior friend of his, playing Minecraft instead of taking notes.

 _It’s not so bad to sit in the back_ , Kyungsoo decides. He takes advantage of being hidden by four rows of students and takes his vest off to let himself dry. He loosens the buttons of his shirt, frowning at the droplets of water escaping through his sleeve.

He was in the middle of wiping his hair with a small towel when he catches a glimpse of eyes locked on him. He almost doesn’t notice since the student is seated at the far end of the auditorium, but after the person looks away, Kyungsoo’s vision finally adjusts a little.

The person, whom he realizes is a dude, now faces the front of the class. The guy seems around Kyungsoo’s age and has vibrant brown hair. He doesn’t catch much of his features since the student has now taken it upon himself to pull his hoodie over his head, but not before turning to Kyungsoo and giving him a soulless stare.

 _Rude_ , Kyungsoo thinks.

He bites the inside of his cheek and looks away, a small part of him curious to how the stranger managed to escape his radar in the past three years he has stayed in this department.

After class finishes, Kyungsoo trails after Sehun who is halfway through the door and grabs a handful of the man’s shirt. “Just wait a minute,” Kyungsoo whispers under his breath, pulling his companion aside as he watches everyone coming from the dimly lit room that he was just in.

Finally, after seemingly every single person including the professor finally came out, the guy finally appears.

His hood is down this time and Kyungsoo finally gets a glimpse of his features. He sees eyes slanted downward almost in a drooping manner, round cheeks, and a frown.

As soon as the guy notices Kyungsoo, he quickly averts his gaze and strides away.

“Huh,” Kyungsoo says, watching the guy’s back get smaller down the hallway. “That’s weird. I have never seen that man before in my life. I don’t think he’s in our major, but then again only BS Architecture idiots get to take this class. Do you know who he is?”

When he receives no response, he looks up and sees Sehun looking onward, face devoid of any emotion.

“Man, you weren’t even listening to me, were you?” Kyungsoo chides, nudging his friend's side.

“What?”

Kyungsoo just chuckles and starts walking. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.”

 

 

 

It’s raining again, and this time Kyungsoo has an umbrella with him. He has a vacant period of two hours before his club starts practicing for an event. He hums to music playing through his earphones as he passes the faculty wing of the building. He happens to look up at that moment and feels his feet stop on its tracks. Through the window, he sees a lonely figure playing the piano.

It’s the boy from before, and he’s in one of the rarely used classrooms on the sixth floor. Kyungsoo used to hang out in that place a lot as a freshman, making use of the musical instruments stacked in the place. He remembers singing to old pop songs while Chanyeol from the Engineering department strums happily on his guitar.

Kyungsoo wonders how he and Chanyeol grew apart as friends. As far as he could remember, he and the man were still in touch until a few months ago. He blinks up again and notices that the guy is pacing around, seemingly mouthing words.

He’s singing, Kyungsoo realizes. He finds himself frozen when pulls his earphones off and listens.

 

 

 

 

 

> Countless days have passed  
>  And they are fading  
>  In the scattering time  
>  No matter how much I long for you  
>  I can’t hear your memories

The boy sings so beautifully that Kyungsoo feels his jaw drop in awe. He stands still as he watches the student sing his heart out from afar. _How could any of his club leaders let such talent go to waste?_  

He remembers how he was hunted down when he was a freshman after Yifan, the previous president of the club who later graduated, heard him singing in the bathroom.

The boy now has his back to the window and Kyungsoo swears he can almost hear him sobbing.

_Who is this person? Why is he always so sad?_

Kyungsoo wonders how he could be so oblivious to the guy’s presence till now. After staying for a few more seconds, he walks away with another mission in mind. He’s not the most social guy on campus, but he hopes he can be a friendly guy, at least this once.

 _Everyone deserves a friend_ , he thinks to himself and starts to dial his best friend’s number with a plan.

 

 

 

“What?”

Four pairs of eyes blink back at Kyungsoo after he finishes explaining his ingenious plan over some Mexican food.

“Wait, wait, hold up,” Junmyeon says through a mouthful of burrito, “You want to befriend someone? You? Do Kyungsoo?”

“Yeah, I mean--” Kyungsoo shrugs, “The dude seems pretty lonely and--”

“Wow, this is character development, I am so so proud,” Minseok says, grabbing his phone and quickly tapping on it like a maniac, probably to text Luhan, his boyfriend.

“Since when has Kyungsoo been interested in other human beings other than the club members?” Jongin, an art major, squeaks from behind Sehun, who seems most uninterested in the conversation and keeps scrolling on his phone.

“I know right? It’s like he’s possessed,” Sehun finally says after putting his phone down.

“Who is it anyway? A freshman?” Jongin asks as Kyungsoo leads the group out of the cafeteria.

“No, I don’t think so,” Kyungsoo says. “It’s some guy in my Calc 56 class who always wears hoodies over his head. He always looks like a criminal ready to bolt and he’s always alone. Brown hair, kind of frowny looking.”

The conversation dies from there, and soon his friends start to disperse, claiming that they had appointments of sorts, practices, and papers due soon. Soon, it’s just Kyungsoo and Sehun walking down the hall together. Kyungsoo feels uneasy.

“Do you think it’s a bad idea, Sehun?” He asks, tapping his foot thoughtfully on the tiled pavement. “You know I don’t like complicated things, right? I just felt like I should help him out. You guys found me around freshman year and I’ve been happier since. ”

Sehun says nothing at first, patting Kyungsoo’s head fondly instead. Finally, a small smile pulls his lip upward. “I think if you feel in your heart that you should reach out to this guy, then go for it. We’ve got your back, always.”

“So you’ll help me?” Kyungsoo says, tone hopeful.

“Sure,” Sehun responds. “But you have got to make the first move, Kyungsoo. This is your mission, and you said it yourself, this guy is pretty evasive. If you’re serious about this, you have to approach him yourself.”

“Who says I have to do it on my own?” Kyungsoo groans, hitting his friend on the arm playfully.

Sehun only laughs in response. “Fate.”

 

 

Maybe fate really likes rain, because the next time Kyungsoo chances upon his target, it’s in the middle of a freaking storm. He was running to get to someplace with a roof when a flash of green catches his attention. Soon, he finds that the green thing is actually a hoodie, and whoever is wearing it seems to be heading to the same convenience store he is rushing to.

 _Maybe it's the hoodie guy_ , Kyungsoo thinks. He supposes it could be any other guy who likes hoodies.

Either way, they find themselves grabbing the door at the exact same time, and maybe Kyungsoo used a little too much force because the door hits the guy square in the face.

“Oh, sh—”

“Ohhh my god, I am so sorry.”

Kyungsoo didn’t plan their first official meeting to be like this. He keeps apologizing profusely to the guy as they both get in, safe from the thunder and rain outdoors. The boy seems to insist that he’s fine although he’s holding his nose tightly, gently insisting that Kyungsoo stop bowing to him.

“No, I think I should buy you an ice pack,” Kyungsoo says, eyebrows furrowed.

“Really, I’m fine. You should go and…buy whatever it is you wanted from here,” the guy further dismisses.  
Kyungsoo ended up winning anyway, almost pinning the guy in place when he realizes that the person’s nose is actually bleeding. He ends up pressing an ice pack to the guy’s nose and buying the guy hot chocolate. They both sit in silence, the guy gazing out the window and Kyungsoo focused on tending to his nose.

“I guess you really live up to your name, huh?” The guy says after a while.

“Huh?” Kyungsoo replies.

“Do Kyungsoo, right? I heard your friends call you Dyodelou,” the guy says, somewhat sounding unsure.

Kyungsoo smiles at this, nodding. “Yeah, I guess they used to call me that back in sophomore year.” Brief flashes of Sehun and Minseok teasing him come to mind. He hasn’t been called that nickname in a while. He wonders why.

“So you’re a sophomore?” He remembers to ask, pleased that the nose he’s tending to has stopped bleeding. He’s still very disappointed that he hasn’t met this guy before.

“No,” the guy answers, and there’s something in his tone that makes Kyungsoo squint. “I’m a senior.”

“Really?” This further surprises Kyungsoo.

Almost all his seniors are part of the music club he’s in and he’s close to almost all of them. Many of his favorite people come from that class, like Yixing, who’s currently interning in China, and Luhan, Minseok’s boyfriend, who’s traveling abroad for his thesis. He spent a lot of his time joining the seniors for dinners and drinking sessions.

He’s almost sure he has met all of them. Now that he thinks of it, his mind is a bit fuzzy whenever he tries to remember a lot of the gatherings that he joined in the past couple of years.

_Maybe this guy just wasn’t social enough last year?_

Kyungsoo feels a small squeeze on his arm. “Don’t sweat it, buddy,” the guy says, almost knowingly, “I’m pretty easy to forget.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t know why, but this statement rings loudly in his head like it’s some sort of code. He searches the boy’s face, intent on figuring out what it is that bothers him so much, but only finds a silent sadness in the boy’s eyes, which stare back at him with an expression he can’t decipher.

There’s something about those eyes that beckons Kyungsoo as he knows them. He just can’t figure it out, can’t place where he knows them. Every time he tries, he’s faced with a blank void.

“I give up,” Kyungsoo finally says, placing the ice pack down and offering his hand to the stranger before him. “I don’t remember where we met, but can we start over?”

“Start over?” The stranger blinks, tilting his head to the side. He eyes Kyungsoo’s hand, before reluctantly taking it, allowing Kyungsoo to shake their hands together.

“I’m Do Kyungsoo, a junior. I’m 23 years old and I’m a part of the college music club. I’m not sure why I haven’t met you before, but I’m not going to forget you this time around.”

Something happens right after he utters those words, and once again Kyungsoo finds himself frozen in place. Slowly, the boy’s lips lift up, and Kyungsoo is graced with his smile for the very first time.

The man then speaks. “My name’s Byun Baekhyun, and it’s nice to meet you, Do Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo repeats the name in his head, a small smile escaping him as he feels somewhat victorious for reasons that he cannot place.

“We should grab a together meal sometime, Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo says, and Baekhyun readily agrees.

“Only if we’re eating meat and you’re paying,” the senior replies.

This is when they both notice that the skies have gone lighter than before, with shades of blue greeting them as they emerge from the convenience store.

“Huh,” Baekhyun says, almost in amazement. “The rain stopped.”

“I guess it has,” Kyungsoo says, breathing in as the sun starts to slide out slowly from the thick clouds ahead.”

“Where are you headed now?” Baekhyun asks, sliding his hands down his pockets. He looks adorable, Kyungsoo thinks, now that he’s smiling. “My classes are over for today so I’ve got nothing to do.”

“To campus,” Kyungsoo grins. “I’ve got some very nice people that I want to introduce you to. Your life is going to change from today, Byun Baekhyun.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Baekhyun says, his voice almost a whisper. “I don’t doubt it at all.”

With that, the pair made their way back to the university, and somehow, as Kyungsoo glances up at the clear skies, he feels a strange assurance that the rain isn’t coming back anytime soon.

 

_Fin._

 

 

 

 

  
Epilogue:

“I think the chorus would go well if Minseok sang in the second voice,” Junmyeon hums, pressing his fingers down the keyboard absentmindedly. “What do you think?”

“That works too,” Jongin says, flipping through the song sheets thoughtfully.

A soft ping interrupts him, and he slowly fishes his phone out of his pocket, tapping onto the device idly.

“Holy sh—”

“Oh my god,” Junmyeon says at the same time, bent over his own mobile phone.

As if on cue, the door slams open and Sehun walks in with a couple of other people, all of them wearing huge grins on their faces.

Minseok’s head peeks out from the recording room, eyes blown wide as he waves his phone out. “Are you all seeing this?!”

“I didn’t think it would be possible,” Sehun says.

“And to think that it would be Kyungsoo himself who would approach him,” Junmyeon adds.

“I’m kind of worried,” Jongin says, eyebrows furrowing as he leans on Junmyeon’s shoulder. “I know it’s been almost half a year, but I just don’t want things to happen like before.”

“We’re all worried, Jonginnie,” the man next to Sehun says, squeezing Jongin's arm reassuringly. “But if anything, I trust Kyungsoo and Baekhyun to figure this out themselves.”

Beside him, another man speaks up. “I agree. Baekhyun has isolated himself enough, I think it’s time for him to forgive himself for what happened. Besides, I’m tired of pretending I don’t know you guys.”

“Aww, Jongdae, Chanyeol, come here, you weirdos! I missed you both so much!” Minseok cries out, running to the group with open arms. The duo welcomes him into an embrace, which quickly turns into a weird group hug. (“Why am I always the one getting his bones crushed when we have these hugs?” Sehun whines.)

“I guess not even the surgery can separate those two, huh?” Jongdae says after they all pull away, rubbing soothing circles on Junmyeon’s shoulder.

“Yeah, if the flower-puking phase last year didn’t get in the way of them before, then I’m sure they’ll get over this one too,” Sehun says.

“I wonder if there’s any possibility of Kyungsoo remembering everything,” Minseok hums, resting his chin on Jongin’s shoulder.

Junmyeon takes this to consideration. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

And with that, the door swings open.

“Welcome, you guys!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm aware that I left some stitches open with this one. I hope I have time to stitch up another piece to answer the questions I've created along the way.  
> I made this because of stress, and because a friend of mine called themselves "an extra burden" in my life and I imagined this piece in response. I've got another Hanahaki in the works.
> 
> Also, Baekhyun's song is the first chorus of "The Day", which he sang with K-Will a few years ago.  
> Hope you enjoy.


End file.
